Kim Man-bae, a key figure in the Daejang-dong development scandal, was released from the Seoul Detention Center at around midnight on Thursday. This release came after a court dismissed the prosecution’s request to extend Kim’s detainment period. 

Upon leaving the detention center, Kim issued an apology for causing concern raised by the case. He then denied the prosecution’s claims that he paid Shin Hak-lim, a former head of the National Union of Media Workers, more than 100 million won in return for conducting a false interview with the intention of influencing last year's presidential election.

Kim acknowledged paying Shin 165 million won, or around 124-thousand U.S. dollars, to buy three of Shin’s books, explaining that he thought the artistic value of the books merited that amount. 

Kim, who is a major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, an asset management firm at the center of the Daejang-dong scandal, denied allegations that he held the interview with Shin in an attempt to influence last year’s presidential race, claiming he is not someone who has that kind of influence. 

Thursday marked the second time Kim was released from prison with regard to the Daejang-dong scandal, with the first release occurring last November.